Intruder, theft and vandalism deterrent management system for controlling a parking area

ABSTRACT

A parking area control and management system employs a card reader, which reads identification information from a card commonly carried by a person, such as a driver&#39;s license or credit card or other identity card carried by a user that is issued by an entity other than a parking area management entity. A record is made of the identification information upon entrance of a vehicle into the parking area. The person may subsequently leave the parking area on foot and regain entry to the parking area by presenting the same card. Later, the same card is used to exit the parking area, via the vehicle, and to validate that the same person is leaving with the vehicle. The parking area control and management system also includes sensors, such as loop detectors and electric eyes, to determine if a second vehicle or a pedestrian follows behind a vehicle entering into, or exiting from, the parking area. The parking area control and management system can be used to manage existing loop detectors and electric eyes, that normally control door and gate safety access systems, and to integrate those devices into an alarm system, such that an alert is issued whenever an abnormal or unauthorized event occurs during operations.

This application is a Continuation of Applicant's prior U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/303,025, filed on Nov. 25, 2002, which is acontinuation-in-part of Applicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/131,029, filed Apr. 25, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/644,901, filed on Aug. 24, 2000, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,484,784 issued on Nov. 26, 2002. The contents of theparent applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for controlling access to, andegress from, a parking area.

2. Description of the Relevant Art

Private and public parking areas, such as garages and lots, are commonin urban and suburban areas. Often the entrance to, and exit from, theparking area are monitored and/or controlled. Various systems are knownto perform the monitoring and/or controlling functions of the parkingarea. Such systems range in complexity, such as from simple, mannedattendant booths, to semi-automated parking pass systems, to fullyautomated parking systems.

A first known parking control system employs the use semi-permanentindicia, such as bumper stickers, window stickers or rear view mirrorplacards. By paying a periodic fee, a person is issued the indicia. Whena vehicle enters a parking area, the vehicle must pass through anentrance area. If an attendant or machine recognizes the indicia on thevehicle, the attendant or machine will allow the vehicle to enter theparking area. Often the exit portion of the parking area is completelyautomated and does not check the indicia, since all of the vehicleswhich entered the parking area were presumably authorized.

The first known system suffers drawbacks. The indicia is associated withthe vehicle, rather than the driver. Therefore, the indicia remains onthe vehicle, after the driver has left the vehicle parked in the parkingarea. If a thief obtains the vehicle from the parking area, the thiefcan easily pass by the automated exit or the attendant's booth, sincethe indicia on the vehicle is known and valid to the system. Anotherdrawback is that many people object to placing indicia on theirvehicles.

A second known parking control system addresses the drawbacks of thefirst known system. The second known system employs an attendant locatedin a booth at a vehicle entrance/exit portion of a parking area, or aticket printing machine located at the vehicle entrance. When a vehicleenters the parking area, the attendant or ticket printing machinepresents the driver with a parking slip printed on a paper card.

Later, when the vehicle exits the parking area, the driver presents theparking slip to the attendant or a ticket reading machine. The attendantor machine either charges a set fee, or perhaps reads a date and timestamp on the parking slip to determine a time-based fee for the parkingservice. Therefore, in the second known system, the parkingauthorization is presented to, and associated with, the driver, ratherthan the vehicle. Further, the driver need not place any indicia on thevehicle.

The second known system also suffers drawbacks. Often, a person does notwant to carry the parking slip on their person because it isinconvenient to do so. Further, the person may fear losing the parkingslip and having to pay the maximum parking fee. Therefore, the parkingslip is usually left in the parked vehicle, such as on the dash, on thepassenger's seat, on or in a center console, etc.

Leaving a parking slip in the vehicle is an invitation to a thief tosteal the person's vehicle. Once the vehicle is obtained, the thief cansimply present the parking slip, pay the parking fee and leave theparking area without raising suspicions. Another drawback to the abovesystem is that a new parking slip must be issued every time a vehicle isparked. This wastes natural resources and costs the parking serviceprovider money.

In order to alleviate the later drawback, a third known parking controlsystem has enjoyed wide spread acceptance. Many parking serviceproviders now issue a plastic parking card, which is uniquely registeredto the driver. By paying a periodic fee, the parking service providermaintains the parking card in a valid state. Presentation of the parkingcard to an attendant or automated card reader allows the driver'svehicle to enter and exit the parking area.

Unfortunately, the third known system also suffers drawbacks. People areresistant to carrying yet another plastic card in their wallet or purse.Further, if a person frequents several different parking areas, managedby different service providers, the problem is exacerbated, since eachparking service provider will issue their own unique plastic parkingcard. Therefore, most people simple “store” their parking cards in theirvehicle, such as in a center console or dash glove box. Therefore, againif a thief obtains the vehicle in the parking area, the thief can easilyexit the parking area using the valid parking card without raising anysuspicions.

Another drawback to the third known system is that it takes time andmoney to issue a parking card. The plastic cards and machine to encodethe cards are expensive to the parking service operator. Further, if aperson is patronizing a parking area for the first time, it is a hassleto fill out an application form and wait for a parking card to beissued. Many people also object to the personal information that must beprovided in order to obtain the parking card, and worry that theinformation will be sold to telemarketers and direct mailers.

Yet another drawback is that the third known system is only costeffective to issue parking cards to repeat, or monthly, parking patrons.The third known system has no provision for a onetime, or daily, parkingpatron, other than to issue an expensive dedicated, parking card.Issuing a parking card to a onetime parking patron would addsignificantly to the price charged for a day of parking, and/or detractsignificantly from the profits of the parking service provider. In anyevent, a parking card would be needed by the onetime, parking patron inorder to reenter the parking garage to retrieve the vehicle.

Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a new system forcontrolling a parking area, which is convenient to parking patrons,which saves parking service providers money, and which deters the theftand/or vandalism of parked vehicles, and allows entry and exit forpre-approved parking patrons on a case by case basis.

Further, there exists a need in the art for an improved parking areamanagement and control system which can more easily detect and deter (1)“vehicle-type tailgating” past a parking barrier, wherein anunauthorized vehicle follows an authorized vehicle into and/or out ofthe parking area; and (2) “pedestrian-type tailgating” past a parkingbarrier, wherein a person follows an authorized vehicle into a parkingarea. Such a system would reduce the likelihood of vehicle theft andvandalism, reduce the likelihood of lost parking revenue, reduce theoperating expenses of a parking area by reducing insurance claims, andimprove the safety of the patrons of the parking area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of thedrawbacks associated with the background art.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking controlsystem, which operates in combination with a card already issued to, andtypically carried by, a parking patron.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking controlsystem, which deters vandalism and theft of parked vehicles, as well asassaults and robberies of parking patrons, by issuing an alert signalwhen an unauthorized vehicle or person attempts to enter or exit theparking area.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking controlsystem, which deters vandalism of parked vehicles and/or theft ofobjects from parked vehicles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking controlsystem, which saves money and time for parking service providers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking controlsystem, which is more convenient and less objectionable to parking areapatrons.

These and other objects are accomplished by a parking area control andmanagement system employing a card reader, which reads identificationinformation from a card commonly carried by a person, such as a driver'slicense or credit card. A record is made of the identificationinformation upon entrance of a vehicle into the parking area. The personmay subsequently leave the parking area on foot and regain entry to theparking area by presenting the same card. Later, the same card is usedto exit the parking area, via the vehicle, and to validate that the sameperson is leaving with the vehicle. The parking area control andmanagement system also includes sensors, such as loop detectors andelectric eyes, to determine if a second vehicle or a pedestrian followsbehind a vehicle entering into the parking area.

The parking area control and management system of the present inventionmay employ preexisting equipment already in use at the parking area. Forexample, existing equipment, such as electric eye systems and loopdetectors, may be reorganized and integrated into the parking areacontrol and management system of the present invention. Thereorganization and integration of the preexisting equipment into thecontrol system of the present invention creates new safety monitoringaspects and other benefits (such as intruder alerts, and tailgatingdetection) not possible when using the preexisting equipmentindividually.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the presentinvention will become apparent from the detailed description givenhereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detaileddescription and specific examples, while indicating preferredembodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only,since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope ofthe invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thisdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are notlimitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an outside perspective view of a parking garage entrance andexit area for vehicles and foot traffic;

FIG. 2 is an inside perspective view of the parking garage entrance andexit area for vehicles and foot traffic;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a customer terminal;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an interconnection betweenvarious components of the parking area control and management system ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation for allowing avehicle to enter a parking area;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation for allowingfoot traffic into the parking area;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation for allowing avehicle to exit the parking area; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation fordiscovering vehicle-type and pedestrian-type tailgating into the parkingarea.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a building 2 having an undergroundparking garage viewed from a street outside of the building 2. Thebuilding 2 includes a vehicle entrance 4 and a vehicle exit 6. Thebuilding 2 also includes an access door 8 for entering and exiting theparking garage by foot. A first customer terminal 10 is locatedalongside an entrance ramp 12. The first customer terminal 10 is mountedon a post 14, which is situated on a driver's side of the entrance ramp12. A similar, second customer terminal 16 is provided on an exteriorwall of the building 2 adjacent to the door 8. The customer terminals10, 16 will be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 3.

A first camera 3 is provided on a post 5 attached to the building 2. Thefirst camera 3 has a view of the outside portions of the vehicleentrance 4, the vehicle exit 6 and the access door 8. The first camera 3may take one image of the entrance and exit area of the building 2, or aseries of images over a time period, as will be further described below.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle entrance and exit area takenfrom inside the parking garage. An exit lane 18 leads to the vehicleexit 6. A third customer terminal 20 is located alongside the exit lane18. The third customer terminal 20 is mounted on a post 22, which issituated on a driver's side of the exit ramp 18.

A second camera 23 is provided on a post 25 attached to an interior wallof the building 2. The second camera 23 has a view of the insideportions of the vehicle entrance 4, the vehicle exit 6 and the accessdoor 8. The second camera 23 may take one image of the entrance and exitarea of the building, or a series of images over a time period, as willbe further described below.

FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration for the first, second and/or thirdcustomer terminals 10, 16, and 20. Each customer terminal would includeat least a card reader in the form of a pull through slot 24 (ascommonly used in grocery store checkout lanes) or an insert/withdrawslot (as commonly used at pay gas pumps). The card reader could be usedfor reading one or more types of cards, such as a magnetic strip or barcode provided on a credit card, a driver's license, etc.

Further, each customer terminal could include a telephone handset 26 forvoice communications, a numeric or alpha-numeric input keypad 28, aplurality of function keys 30, a video display 32, and a camera 34. Ofcourse, the handset 26 could be replaced with a hands-free speakerphone,such as a speaker 36 and a microphone 38. Further, the keypad 28 andfunction keys 30 could be replaced with a touch sensitive graphicsdisplay provided on the video display 32, or a computer input tointerface with a personal digital assistant (PDA) or laptop.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the interconnections betweenvarious components of the present invention. The first customer terminal10, second customer terminal 16 and third customer terminal 20 areconnected to a control system 40. The connections may be hardwired orwireless.

The controller 40 is also connected to a first actuator 42, a secondactuator 44 and a door lock 46. The first actuator 42 controls openingand closing of a first gate or door 48, serving as a barrier to thevehicle entrance 4. The second actuator 44 controls opening and closingof a second gate or door 50, serving as a barrier to the vehicle exit 6.The door lock 46 controls the locking of the foot traffic door 8. Forexample, the door lock 46 could drive a solenoid for withdrawing a deadbolt, and hence unlocking the pedestrian door 8. Alternatively, the doorlock 46 may be an electromagnet, which holds the door 8 locked whenenergized, and which releases the door 8 when de-energized.

As also illustrated in FIG. 4, a memory 52 and a timer 53 are connectedto the control system 40. The memory 52 could be a hard drive integratedinto, or in the proximity of, the control system 40, or alternativelycould be a remote memory device, such as a memory space allocated at alocal personal computer or service provider connected to the controlsystem 40 via a modem 54 over the Internet. Also, the timer 53 could beintegrated into the control system 40.

An emergency/fire detector 56 is also connected to the control system40. The emergency/fire detector 56 could be a collection of fire sensorsand pull alarms located in the garage area. More preferably, theemergency/fire detector 56 is tied into a master management system ofthe building 2, and hence would signal trouble to the control system 40under the circumstance of any emergency within the building 2. In anemergency condition, the vehicle barriers 48, 50 and door 8 could beheld opened, as for a bomb threat, or could be held locked, in responseto a child-abduction in the building 2.

A credit card center 64 may also be connected to the control system 40,directly or via the modem 54, as will be further discussed below. Alocal service facility 58 is connected directly to the control system40, or connected to the control system 40 via the modem 54. The localservice facility 58 could be manned a security person located onsite ofthe building 2, such as at a guard desk in the lobby of the building 2.Alternatively, or in addition, a remote service facility 60 couldconnected directly to the control system 40, or connected via the modem54. The remote service facility 60 would be located offsite, and wouldservice the parking garages of several different buildings 2.

As also illustrated in FIG. 4, a presence detector, such as an electriceye system 62, is connected to the control system 40. The electric eyesystem 62 includes one or more transmitter/receiver sets, arrangedproximate the vehicle entrance 4 and/or exit 6. In FIG. 2 a firsttransmitter/receiver set 70 is located closer to the first barrier 48 ofthe vehicle entrance 4, as compared to a second transmitter/receiver set72. Therefore, a vehicle or person entering via the vehicle entrance 4will trigger the first transmitter/receiver set 70 prior to triggeringthe second transmitter/receiver set 72. Each transmitter/receiver set70, 72 is located sufficiently high so that it is unlikely that apedestrian will step over the light beam. Yet, each transmitter/receiverset 70, 72 is not located so high that the light beams will pass over avehicle.

The electric eye system 62 may be embodied as an infrared light beamtransmitter and receiver for detecting the passage of vehicles or peoplepast the vehicle entrance 4. Of course, other types of electric eyesystems may be employed to detect the passage of vehicles or people pastthe vehicle entrance 4, such as an ultra-sonic transmitter/receiver set.As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electric eye system 62 may also includethird and fourth transmitter/receiver sets 74, 76, arranged proximatethe vehicle exit 6, to detect the passage of vehicles and people pastthe vehicle exit 6, in a like manner.

As also illustrated in FIG. 4, a loop detector system 64 is connected tothe control system 40. The loop detector system 64 includes one or moreloop detectors, arranged proximate the vehicle entrance 4 and/or exit 6.In FIG. 2, a first loop detector 78 is located closer to the firstbarrier 48 of the vehicle entrance 4, as compared to a second loopdetector 80. Therefore, a vehicle entering via the vehicle entrance 4will trigger the first loop detector 78 prior to triggering the secondloop detector 80. In typical installations, the loop detectors also actas the inside and outside safety loops for the door or gate.

The loop detectors 78, 80 may be embodied as coils of wire, which act asmetal detectors. A large amount of metal, characteristic of a vehicle,will influence a current in the coil of a loop detector, and indicatethe presence of a vehicle. Of course, other types of loop detectors maybe employed to detect the presence of a vehicle, such as a weightsensor. A typical weight sensor would include a loop-shaped area formedin the entrance ramp which transmits a surface weight to a sensorbeneath, such as a piezo-electric strain gauge. As illustrated in FIG.2, the loop detector system 64 may also include third and fourth loopdetectors 82, 84, arranged proximate the vehicle exit 6, to detect thepassage of vehicles past the vehicle exit 6, in a like manner.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a first aspect of operation for thepresent invention. The first aspect of operation relates to a vehicle orperson's entrance into the parking area, e.g. parking garage. Whenentering the garage, a customer's vehicle approaches the first customerterminal 10 via the entrance ramp 12. The customer reviews rules postedat the first customer terminal 10 or at a billboard 66 attached to thebuilding 2. The customer is instructed to present their driver's licenseor a credit card (hereinafter referred to as a customer's common card)to the card reader 24. In FIG. 3, the card reader 24 is provided in apedestal-type customer terminal 10, and accessed directly by thecustomer. However, other types of customer terminals may house the cardreader 24. For example, the card reader 24 may be provided in a customerterminal, taking the form of a customer counter or parking attendant'sbooth, and accessed by handing the card to an attendant.

In step S100, the card reader obtains unique identifying informationfrom a bar code, magnetic strip or the like, on the customer's commoncard. It is not important that the control system 40 be able to actuallyidentify the individual, but rather that the control system 40 simply beable to obtain unique data associated with the customer's common card.

In step S102, the control system 40 stores the read identification datain the memory 52 along with a timer value, as taken from the timer 53.Then, in step S104, the control system 40 sends a signal to the firstactuator 42 to open the first barrier 48 to permit the vehicle or personto enter the parking garage. In step S106, it is determined whether ornot the vehicle or person has entered the parking garage using the loopdetector system 64 or electric eye system 62. If not, the control system40 goes to step S110. If so, the method proceeds to step S108 and thecontrol system 40 sends a signal to the first actuator 42 to close thefirst barrier 48.

If the vehicle or person has not entered the parking garage, the controlsystem 40 monitors the timer 53, in step S110, to see if a predeterminedtime has elapsed. For example, the predetermined time may beapproximately 10 to 15 seconds. If the time since the opening actuationof the first barrier 48 has not yet exceeded the predetermined time, theprocess returns to step S106 to check if the vehicle has entered theparking garage yet. If the time since the opening actuation of the firstbarrier 48 has exceeded the predetermined time, the process goes to stepS108 and the first barrier 48 is closed. This is a “time-out” procedure,whereby the first barrier 48 is not left open indefinitely.

Once a vehicle has entered and parked in the parking garage, it iscustomary for a person to leave the vehicle and go perform tasks in thebuilding 2 or outside the building 2. In this regard, the person willneed to exit the parking garage via a door leading to a street,stairway, or elevator room. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a door 8 leading toa street. The door 8 is constructed to allow people to freely leave theparking garage. However, the door 8 is locked to prevent people fromentering the parking garage. Of course, other similar doors 8 could beprovided to control access to the garage from an elevator room, lobby,etc.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a second aspect of operation of thepresent invention. The second method of operation relates to a person'sability to regain walking entrance into the parking garage. To regainentry into the parking garage, a person presents their customer's commoncard (e.g. driver's license or credit card) to the card reader 24 of thesecond customer terminal 16. In step S210, the card reader 24 of thesecond customer terminal 16 obtains unique identifying information fromthe bar code, magnetic strip, or the like of the customer's common card.

In step S212, the control system 40 compares the identifying informationobtained in step S210 to the identifying information records stored inthe memory 52. In step S214, it is determined if a match is found. Ifso, processing proceeds to step S216. In step S216, the control system40 sends a signal to the door lock 46 to unlock the door 8, such as bywithdrawing a deadbolt via a solenoid or de-energizing a magnetic lock.This allows the person to enter the garage.

If no match is found in step S214, processing proceeds to step S218. Instep S218, a message is displayed to the person at the second customerterminal 16, via the video display 32, that the customer's common cardpresented was not previously used to gain access to the parking garage.The person is instructed to try again, or to call for assistance usingthe handset 26.

For example, assume that a car rental agency has rental cars parkedinside the parking area. If a person wishes to enter the parking area toobtain a rented car, the person will be asked to insert their customercard into a card reader 24 provided at the rental agency desk. Thecontrol system 40 will allow the person to enter the door 8, and perhapsa series of doors inside the parking area, so as to provide the personwith an accessible path to the rental cars parked in the parking area.The control system 40 could also allow the person to exit the parkingarea with a rental car, using the same customer card.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a third method of operation for thepresent invention. The third method of operation relates to when theperson exits the parking garage with their vehicle. To exit the parkinggarage, the person must present their customer's common card to the cardreader 24 of the third customer terminal 20. In step S220, the cardreader 24 of the third customer terminal 20 obtains unique identifyinginformation from the bar code, magnetic strip, or the like of thecustomer's common card.

In step S222, the control system 40 compares the identifyinginformation, obtained in step S220, to the identifying informationrecords stored in the memory 52. In step S224, it is determined if amatch is found. If so, processing proceeds to step S225. In step S225,the timer value stored along with the matching identifying informationrecord is compared to a present value of the timer 53 and a totalparking time is computed.

Next in step S226, a charge for the parking service is computed anddisplayed to the person at the third customer terminal 30, via the videodisplay 32. The customer then pays for the parking service, either bycash or credit card to the third customer terminal 30 or an attendant,or by putting the charge on an account. After payment is settled, instep S227, the control system 40 sends a signal to the second actuator44 to open the second barrier 50, and allow the vehicle to exit. Next,in step S228, the control system 40 erases the matching identifyinginformation record from the memory 52. Alternatively, the control system40 can flag the matching identifying information record. A flaggedidentifying information record can be erased after some period of time,for example ten days, or can be archived for later use.

If no matching identifying record is found in step S224, processingproceeds to step S230. In step S230, a message is displayed to theperson at the third customer terminal 20, via the video display 32, thatthe customer's common card presented to the card reader 24 of the thirdcustomer terminal 20 was not previously used to gain access to theparking garage. The person is instructed to try again, or to call forassistance using the handset 26. A video image of the person can betaken, via the camera 34 of the third customer terminal 20. This videoimage can be stored in the memory 52, so that should a criminal eventlater be uncovered, the video image of the person can be retrieved.

The above described system and method of operation offers manyadvantages in the monitoring and control of a parking garage. First, thesystem makes is difficult for a person to enter the parking garage,unless that person has a vehicle parked in the parking garage. Thisreduces the likelihood of having criminals enter the parking garage andcausing injury or damage to persons or property in the parking garage.

Second, the system works in cooperation with a person's credit card ordriver's license. Presumably, all persons parking a vehicle in theparking garage should have in their possession their driver's license,and most people would have a credit card. Therefore, the parking controlsystem is operating, based upon a card which is already in thepossession of the parking patrons. There is no need to create, issue orupdate any dedicated parking card, which saves time and money for theparking service provider and parking customer. Further, parkingcustomers need not carry an additional card for parking services.

One particular drawback of the prior parking control systems was thatparking customers left their parking slips or parking cards in theirparked vehicles. This occurrence is highly unlikely in the presentsystem. People are very much in the habit of keeping their credit cardsand driver's license in their wallets or purses, and would be veryunlikely to leave their credit card or driver's license behind in aparked vehicle. Therefore, should a thief steal a vehicle from theparking garage, the thief would not have a credit card or driver'slicense with a matching identifying record stored in the memory 52.Therefore, the thief would call attention to himself when trying toleave the parking garage, and a video image of the thief would be storedin the memory 52.

Of course, a paper slip could still be issued by the parking controlsystem of the present invention. However, the paper slip would not beused to exit the parking area, but would serve to identify the parkingarea, such as by address or a service provider's name. Such a slip couldbe carried by the parking customer to remind them where their vehicle isparked.

Although a credit card may be employed by the system, a person's creditcard number might only be used to uniquely distinguish the person. Itwould not be necessary to identify the person, validate the credit card,or make any charge to the credit card. Rather, the credit card is usedto make a unique identification record to be stored in the memory 52. Ofcourse, if credit cards were used, it would be possible to charge thecredit card for the parking services, if the customer desired.

If a problem occurs at the parking area, such as a theft, vandalism,robbery, assault, etc., then the credit card account information on fileat the time of the event could be used to track down the holders of thedriver's licenses or credit cards. In this way, it is possible toreconstruct a list of those persons who may have been injured, suffereda loss of property, witnessed a crime, or be a suspect in the crime.

Of course, there will be special circumstances where a different person,not in possession of the customer's common card, will legitimately needto remove a vehicle form the parking garage. Take for example, theinstance where a person has driven their vehicle to the parking garage,parked, and then left on a business trip. A spouse picks up the vehicle,later that day. The spouse would be unable to use the same customer'scommon card to gain entrance into the parking garage, via the door 8.

However, the spouse could speak with a guard, or remote service person,via the handset 26 and explain the situation. The guard could theninstruct the person to insert another customer's common card into thecard reader 24 of the second customer terminal 16. The control system 40would respond to customer's common card, and an override command issuedby the guard or remote service facility 60, and would unlock the door 8and create a new identifying information record in the memory 52. Bythis arrangement, the spouse could exit the parking garage using thespouse's customer's common card at the third customer terminal 20.

One particular advantage of the present invention is that datasurrounding such special circumstances can be collected and stored forsome time. For instance, driver's license information of the allegedspouse could be maintained for several days so as to make sure that novehicle was stolen during the same time period. Further, the first andsecond video cameras 3, 23 mounted to view the vehicle entrance and exitarea, and the video camera 34 of the customer terminals, can be used tostore video images of the person or persons who needed special attentionin order to gain entrance into, or exit from, the parking garage. Suchmeasures go along way toward preventing and deterring persons fromcommitting crimes, since their crimes are no long anonymous, and thelikelihood that they will be later identified are greatly increased. Tothis end, it is envisioned that brief video images of all personsentering and exiting the parking garage could be stored for some shortperiod of time. If no usual circumstances surface in the followingseveral days, the video images would be overridden.

Another common problem in conventional parking area management andcontrol systems involves “tailgaters.” A “vehicle-type tailgater”involves an unauthorized vehicle closely following an authorized vehiclepast the entrance barrier 48 and into the parking area. To exit theparking area, the unauthorized vehicle repeats the tailgating maneuver,and closely follows an authorized vehicle out of the parking area.“Vehicle-type tailgating” leads to lost revenues for the parking serviceprovider. Further, the unscrupulous person who commits “vehicle-typetailgating” is not uniquely identified by the above-described methods ofFIGS. 5-7. Therefore, that person could commit a crime inside theparking area and leave the parking area, not having left a recoverablerecord of their identity.

It is also possible for a person to inadvertently follow an authorizedvehicle into a parking area. For example, sometimes the gate or doorwill remain open a sufficiently long time after an authorized vehicleenters a parking area, which leads a following vehicle to assume thatthe gate or barrier has malfunctioned. The following person then entersthe parking area, and is deemed an “inadvertent” tailgater. Theinadvertent tailgater will have problems leaving the parking area sinceno record of their entrance into the parking area was created. In fact,if the parking area barrier is unattended, the inadvertent tailgater isessentially trapped in the parking garage.

Another common problem in conventional parking area management andcontrol systems involves “pedestrian-type tailgaters.” To enter aparking lot, an unauthorized person closely follows behind an authorizedvehicle entering the parking area. By this maneuver, the person gainsaccess to the parking area and bypasses the security check of the secondcustomer terminal 16, provided by the foot traffic access door 8. Again,the “pedestrian-type tailgater” is not uniquely identified by themethods of FIGS. 5-7, and could commit a crime inside the parking areawith some degree of anonymity.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a further aspect of operation of thepresent invention, which enhances the security of the parking area bydetecting vehicle-type and pedestrian-type tailgating. In step S300, theunique identifying information is obtained from the customer's commoncard, via the card reader 24 of the first customer terminal 10. In stepS302, the unique identifying information is sent to the control system40 and stored in memory 52. Next, in step S304, the first camera 3 andthe second camera 23 are activated. By activating the first and secondcameras 3, 23, it is possible to store video images of the vehicleentrance and exit area.

Next, in step S306, the entrance barrier 48 is opened. Then, in stepS308, the outputs of the electric eye system 62 and the loop detectorsystem 64 are monitored while the entrance barrier 48 is opened (seesteps S106 and S110, in FIG. 5), and the process goes to step S310. Instep S310, if the first loop detector 78 is activated only once and thefirst electric eye 70 is activated only once, prior to the first barrierclosing, the control system 40 determines that only one authorizedvehicle entered the parking garage, and the process goes to step S312,otherwise, the process goes to step S314. In step S314, the controlsystem 40 sends a signal to the first actuator 42 to close the entrancebarrier 48.

In step S312, the control system 40 notes that an unusual event hasoccurred. A log of the unusual event is stored in the memory 52. Forexample, if the first electric eye 70 was activated more than once andthe first loop detector 78 was activated more than once, it is highlypossible that a vehicle-type tailgating occurred. If the first electriceye was activated more than once and the first loop detector wasactivated only once, it is highly possible that a pedestrian-typetailgating occurred.

Whenever an unusual event occurs, the control system 40 will send analarm signal to the local service facility 58 and/or the remote servicefacility 60. The video images of the first and second cameras 3, 23 willbe stored in the memory 52. The images may be later evaluated byauthorized personnel to determine if a vehicle-type tailgating orpedestrian-type tailgating actually occurred. Further, the images can beused to reveal the license plate and/or identity of the vehicle ofperson performing any vehicle-type or pedestrian-type tailgating.

If a vehicle has normally entered the parking area, as in step S314, thesystem can flag the video images. The flagged video images can be storedin the memory 52 for some period of time, e.g. ten days. However, it isenvisioned, from a practical standpoint, that flagged images willeventually be erased or overwritten. By saving all video images for someperiod of time, it is possible to reconstruct comings and goings ofvehicles relative to the parking area, should some criminal eventsurface later. For example, if an assault is reported to the parkingservice personnel several hours after it actually occurred, the videoimages would be available to determine the identities of vehiclesentering and exiting the parking area around the time of the incident.

If desired, the electric eye system can include a secondtransmitter/receiver set 72 offset laterally from the firsttransmitter/receiver set 70. The second transmitter/receiver set 72makes it highly unlikely that a pedestrian will pass by the electric eyesystem 62 undetected, such as by stepping over the light beam. Further,by providing a laterally displaced second transmitter/receiver set 72,the control system 40 can determine the direction of movement of thepedestrian, i.e. whether the pedestrian entered the parking area as anauthorized vehicle entered, or whether the pedestrian exited the parkingarea, via the entrance, as an authorized vehicle entered the parkingarea.

Also, if desired the loop detector system 64 can include a second loopdetector 80 offset laterally from the first loop detector 78. Byproviding a laterally displaced second loop detector 80, the controlsystem 40 can determine the direction of movement of a vehicle, i.e.whether the vehicle entered the parking area when the entrance barrier48 opened, or whether the vehicle exited the parking area when theentrance barrier 48 opened.

It is also envisioned that multiple transmitter/receiver sets 74, 76 andmultiple loop detectors 82, 84 could be employed in conjunction with thevehicle exit barrier 50. By this arrangement, a method similar to FIG. 8could be employed to detect, and record video images of, vehicle-typetailgating and pedestrian-type tailgating at the vehicle exit.

The drawings have illustrated one entrance barrier 48, one exit barrier50 and one pedestrian door 8. Of course, in practice, the parking garagecould include a plurality of entrance and exit barriers, and a pluralityof pedestrian doors 8, with each having a customer terminal cooperatingwith the control system 40. Further, the parking area could have asingle barrier that allows both pedestrians and vehicles to enter andexit.

Further, the drawings have illustrated a parking garage, however thesame advantages of the invention could be obtained with a parking lot.For example, a fenced-in, surrounded parking lot could be provided withvehicle barriers and pedestrian gates to control and monitor the parkinglot in a manner similar and analogous the system describe above inrelation to the parking garage.

By the present invention, a card reader outside of a parking areabarrier, acting in combination with inside and outside loop detectorsand electric eyes (typical safety controls for doors and gates), can beorganized by a control system to trigger alarms and cameras whennon-normal sequences occur. The programming of the control system, inaccordance with the present invention, opens a timed window to allow apedestrian to enter a garage to retrieve their vehicle, even after thegarage closes, yet the control system stays vigilant to detecttailgaters and unauthorized pedestrians.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A parking area management system comprising: a first barrier disposedat a vehicle or pedestrian entrance to a parking area; a first customerterminal proximate the vehicle or pedestrian entrance of the parkingarea; a first loop detector proximate the vehicle or pedestrian entranceof the parking area; a first electric eye proximate the vehicle orpedestrian entrance of the parking area; a control systemcommunicatively connected to said first customer terminal, wherein saidcontrol system receives an input from said first customer terminal andif the input meets predetermined criteria the input is deemed a validinput and said control system sends an open signal to said firstbarrier, and wherein said control system monitors said first loopdetector and said first electric eye, and if said first loop detector istriggered only once and said first electric eye is triggered only once,said control system determines that a normal vehicle entry into theparking area occurred, otherwise, said control system determines that anabnormal vehicle entry occurred and a log of the event is stored.
 2. Theparking area management system according to claim 1, further comprising:a camera mounted to observe the vehicle entrance to the parking area. 3.The parking area management system according to claim 2, wherein animage or sequence of images of the vehicle entrance to the parking areaare stored as part of the event log, if said control system determinesthat the abnormal vehicle entry into the parking area occurred.
 4. Theparking area management system according to claim 1, further comprising:a second loop detector proximate the vehicle entrance of the parkingarea, wherein said control system evaluates the sequence of activationof said first and second loop detectors to determine a direction ofmovement of a vehicle into or out of the vehicle entrance of the parkingarea.
 5. The parking area management system according to claim 1,further comprising: a second electric eye proximate the entrance of theparking area, wherein said control system evaluates the sequence ofactivation of said first and second loop detectors and said first andsecond electric eyes to determine a direction of movement of a vehicleor a pedestrian into or out of the vehicle entrance of the parking area.6. The parking area and management system according to claim 1, whereinsaid first customer terminal includes a card reader for readingidentifying information from a driver's license or credit card.
 7. Theparking area and management system according to claim 1, wherein saidfirst customer terminal includes a card reader for reading identifyinginformation from a magnetic strip or barcode of a card.
 8. The parkingarea and management system according to claim 1, wherein said firstcustomer terminal includes a card reader for reading identifyinginformation from an identity card carried by a user that is issued by anentity other than a parking area management entity.